From Death to Life
by SkyySoriel
Summary: He could feel his life fading away...  There were people waiting for him, people who needed him. He couldn't disappear now... not now, when he still had so much that he had to do.


**From Death to Life**

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"Shit," he gasped, grabbing at his side. There were too many wounds...too much pain to even think. He fell to the floor, gravity shoving him down, forcing him to obey. His body didn't resist, giving way limply into the mud.

It had been so long since he had felt fear like this. There may have never even been a time. It ensnared his senses, clutching onto his mind with its poisonous claws. He could feel his life fading away... Slipping between his fingers, as he desperately tried to hold on. He had so much to live for; this was impossible. There were people waiting for him, people who needed him. He couldn't disappear now... not now, when he still had so much that he had to do.

The pain was starting to disappear. That wasn't a good sign, he thought desperately, as he tentatively moved his hand away from the wound. There was so much blood. He stared at it, blank-faced, watching the red slide down his hand...the rain washing it down his arm.

"Aeris," he breathed in, letting the word fill his mind with a comfort he had never known before he had met her. He could picture her now; sitting peacefully in the sunlit patch of flowers. She was an image of perfection inside of that beautiful broken church. Her gentleness was like nothing he had ever felt before... She was truly unique. More than anything he had ever wanted. He had plans with her... He could see her now...walking down the aisle of a church - any church she had wanted, the one in the slums would be glorious - coming to take his hand in marriage. They would buy a beautiful cottage, and of course there would be plenty of flowers nearby. They would have children together, twins. One boy and one girl... Like all children, they would fight a lot, but together, as a family, they could do anything. They could overcome any hardship...as long as they were together. They would grow old together... Never losing sight of their love for each other. Almost as if it were a fairytale...

Vaguely, Zack could make out the sound of someone approaching. He didn't look over, his mind barely even registering the movement. His mind was lost in Aeris. She was the one who was most dear to him. He loved her more than he ever thought he could love a soul. Her...and...

"Spike," he rasped, the young blond in his sight finally registering in Zack's mind. He was safe, Zack breathed, remembering the events that had just occurred. Reality came crashing down on him... He was not going to grow old with Aeris. Never would he be able to have children with her... Never would he be able to touch her face again. Never again would he be able to spar with Cloud. He wouldn't be able to see Cloud smile again. And that was something he had been wanting to see...for years now.

"Spike," he tried again, his throat failing him. "I'm sorry..." _I'm sorry I won't be able to protect you until the end... I'm sorry for leaving you alone... I'm so sorry._

"Zack," Cloud took in a deep breath, like a fish trying to breath in air. Zack could see the terror and the panic rising in his friends sky blue eyes. They had both depended on each other for so long. It seemed impossible that they could ever be separated.

"Cloud -"

"Don't leave me!" Cloud shouted, his voice breaking. His bright blue eyes so clear in their terror.

Zack hesitated, the numbness in his mind making it difficult to think, but the panic in his friend's eyes making him able to push his brain through it. No, not friend... Cloud was more than a friend to Zack. Cloud was Zack's brother. They had been through so much together, they couldn't be anything less. They were special to each other. No one could ever replace either of them. "It's going to be okay, Spike. You're going to be alright."

"No! No, don't say that! Not like you're about to die," Cloud gasped, his words rushed and feverish. They bubbled out of him; his training tell him to control his emotions, but his heart overriding any trace of that thought. The fear slashed into his heart, making it impossible for him to calm down. "We're going to go to Midgar...we'll get some materia and heal you. We'll heal you and you'll be alright! You're going to be okay. You can't leave me. Not now! Not like this!"

The rain pounded down on the both of them... Zack's skin was clean. The red bleeding down the rocks, fading away. The blood was gone from his flesh, but the damage was done.

"Look at me, Spike... Look at these wounds. Materia isn't going to -"

"No! Stop!" Cloud begged, his eyes wide and crazed in his terror. "Stop. It has to work. It has to."

"There's not enough time," Zack whispered. His voice was drowned out by the rain. But Cloud heard it.

Zack reached up, putting his hand on top of Cloud's wet hair. He smiled as encouragingly as he could, but even then it just wounded Cloud further. Zack's heart dropped upon seeing Cloud's reaction, but he forced himself to hold onto his smile. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

"No," Cloud sobbed. He leaned forward, checking Zack's wounds. They were still bleeding profusely; the rain still washing the red away. Cloud pressed his hand down on the largest wound, trying in vain to stop the bleeding.

Zack smiled up at him, but his face was pained...not by the physical pain, but by what he knew he would be missing by dying. He had such a bright future ahead of him. He would've made sure to take care of Cloud...but now Cloud was going to be alone. Zack's smile was all he had to offer at this time. And it was fading, just like the sun. "Can't even feel it anymore, Spike... I can't feel my whole body." His voice broke, "I can hardly even see you. Everything's just a damn blur... I can hardly focus enough to talk. I..." He chuckled with delirium, his voice catching. He waited for a few moments, trying to calm the hysteria bubbling in his chest. "Dammit, Spike...all your crying is freaking me out."

Cloud pressed his face against Zack's chest, holding him close. "You just got us out... We're finally free. You can't just leave now. Not after waiting for so long..."

"I have no regrets. Especially not about this. If I had to choose, I'd choose this path again."

Cloud shifted to say something, but Zack coughed violently, blood coming from his mouth and sliding down his cheek. "Zack!" Cloud cried, shooting up to see Zack's face clearly.

His eyes were dim. "Cloud... Saving you was the best thing I could have ever done with my life. That's...all I wanted."

"Please," Cloud begged in a silent whisper. His words were carried away by the wind. The SOLDIER didn't hear his muted pleas. "What am I supposed to do without you?"

"Live, Cloud... Live, for the both of us..."

All Cloud could do was stare down at Zack, wide-eyed and numb, as his friend's head slid to the side in his death. Nothing changed. The rain didn't stop. The cold didn't cease. The blood from Zack's wounds continued to wash away. His body was still warm. His hair was still blowing in the wind, mocking the signs of life. Everything was just as it was when Zack was alive. There was no change. No change at all.

But Zack was no longer there.

The world was empty.

"Zack," Cloud whispered, unmoving.

"Zack... Zack." Cloud shook the SOLDIER gently, blindly. "Zack!" He cried out, grabbing onto the SOLDIER's limp body. "You're not gone! You're not gone!" He held the body close to his own, not able to bring himself to check for a pulse. He knew... He could tell. He couldn't feel the sun anymore. He couldn't feel it's warmth or it's light. He couldn't hear it laughing, or it joking like it always did... It was gone. He was gone. "ZACK! ZACK! Don't leave me! ZACK, please!" He grabbed at his face with one of his hands, still holding the SOLDIER close to him. "God, NO! This can't be happening! Zack... Zack...!"

Cloud stayed there, holding onto the body of his dead friend; crying into his chest, even if it wasn't his friend anymore. Just a body. Only a body. His friend, his only comfort, was gone.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, clutching onto the one thing that meant the most to him. He didn't know if he was awake or unconscious. He just knew that his life no longer held meaning. The life of Cloud Strife, the young boy who wanted to become a SOLDIER...that life was dead. He didn't want that anymore...None of that mattered; He just wanted his friend back. Nothing more and nothing less. One thing of many that he would never have again.

His mother was dead and now Zack, who was like a brother to him, was dead. Never again would he feel alive, he was sure of this. He no longer had any family. He didn't want anyone else...They could never fill the holes that were ripped open inside of him. He would never get close to anyone after this. He never wanted to feel hurt like this again. And so he locked away his heart, shutting himself off from the world. It was safer this way... Colder, but never as cold as the rain on that day... That day when Zack, the one who sacrificed his life for Cloud, died.

Cloud figured he would never admire anyone again, never love again. How could he? His heart was made of ice. He cared for no one. No one mattered. Until he met her... The one who was truly unique... The one who could bring out the best in anyone; everyone.

Aeris.

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_A/N:_

_When I first started writing this, my intention was to make it a one shot, but...I think I want to keep going with it. Maybe. I have ideas for it, but... I don't know. Does anyone want to see more of this?_

_And...I know this isn't really like Crisis Core's ending... I didn't feel like making it like that, so... Yeah. I realize it's different._

_In any case, it would be awesome if you could leave me a review telling me what you think. ) Not just about a continuation, but also about ...well, just the story in general. Any type of review is welcome!_


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